


Brother

by grammarpolice



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Brothers, Crying Keith (Voltron), Fluff, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Protective Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 16:16:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18285824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grammarpolice/pseuds/grammarpolice
Summary: I wrote and thought of this at like 2 am so I hope you enjoy.





	Brother

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote and thought of this at like 2 am so I hope you enjoy.

"Okay, yeah, okay, it's okay, Keith. Just-- lean against this." 

Lance carefully lowered Keith to slump against a tree. Its trunk, Lance noticed, was much wider than the rest. He figured that because of this, it was by far the best candidate to support both his and Keith's weight. He pulled off both his and Keith's sweaty helmets (after, of course, making sure the air was breathable). 

"The others are on their way," Lance breathed, sitting next to Keith. "Comms finally started working, the pieces of junk." 

Keith let out a short chuckle, "don't tell 'hat to Pi'ge." 

"Yeah" Lance's smile was sad. "How're you doing?" 

The question was stupid, he knew-- Keith definitely wasn't okay--but, something about it eased the thick air if only a little. 

"I'm," Keith paused, "um, been better. H'w 'bout you?" 

Lance gaped. "Are you kidding me? You just got attacked by an alien in the middle of a space jungle and you're asking how I am! You look horrible, man, you're like half dead." 

"Gee, thanks, 'an--" he was interrupted by a round of weak coughs, immediately offsetting the light banter. Keith groaned in pain, grasping his chest plate tightly. The skin on his arm, Lance noticed, was shredded up in ribbons of tan, bloodied flesh-- the armor had been completely torn off. 

Lance was silent for a moment, unsure of his next move. "What else hurts?" he settled on. 

Keith tensed his jaw as he grimaced in another bout of pain. He pointed to his stomach, "here," he breathed. 

Lance frowned. "You got thrown around a lot," he offered, "bet it's pretty sore-- it'll bruise." 

Keith tensed as a wave of nausea racked his body. He shivered, slumping further against the trunk. "No, La'ce, somt'ing's wrong," he said. 

Lance had never heard Keith tone so small, let alone him ever admit to Lance--or anyone, for that matter-- that "something's wrong." The red paladin whimpered as he struggled to shift into a more comfortable position. 

"Here, hang on. Keith, can I take off your chest plate?" Lance asked, already crouching in front of his friend. 

The boy nodded, allowing Lance to gently pull off his armor. Keith's black long-sleeve was soaked in a thick, dark liquid. The teens shared a look before Lance gently pulled up the stained fabric. There was a deep cut, just under Keith's ribs, that ran across the width of his torso. If the blood was any indication, it was deep. 

Tears streamed down Keith's face. 

Okay, now Lance was officially scared. 

"'urts, Lance," Keith whimpered. 

"I know it hurts, Keith. But, you gotta stay awake, man. They'll be here soon; Shiro's coming, okay?" 

"Okay." 

"Here, Keith, lean against me." 

"Why?" 

"Just do it."

Keith rested his head against Lance's shoulder, shifting most of his body weight into Lance's chest. The blue paladin pulled him close with one arm, using the other to (as gently as he could) tear Keith's left sleeve off. He wrapped the makeshift bandage around the wound, tying it in the front. 

"It's not the best, "he said, slowly placing Keith against the tree, "but it's better than nothing." 

Lance shifted next to Keith. "Here, lean against me," he offered. 

"No, 't's okay." 

Lance sighed, "it's fine, I don't mind." 

Keith, too exhausted to resist any further, slumped into Lance's right side, resting his head on the teen's shoulder. 

"Lance?" Keith asked after a few minutes. 

"Mhmm." 

"I'm ha'py it was y'u." 

Lance furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" 

"I'm happy tha' 'ou're here," Keith slurred, sinking deeper into Lance's side. 

"What about Shiro? Or Pidge, or Hunk?" 

"Happy it's you." 

Lance was supporting most of Keith's weight, now. He smiled, "thank you, Keith." 

Lance?" asked Keith, again. 

"Yeah?" 

"'m so'ry." Keith winced as another pulse of pain rattled his body. 

Lance frowned, "why?" 

Keith took a thick breath, "f'r wh't I did." 

"It's not your fau-" 

"No, I me'n for 'hat I d'd to ma'e you hate 'e." 

Lance's heart dropped. "What-- what, no, I don't hate you, Keith!" 

"'t's okay, I wou'd 'ate me, t'o." Keith shivered against Lance's chest. 

"No, no, no I don't-- I never-- you're my hermano." 

Keith looked up at Lance with hazy pupils. "What's hormeno?" 

Lance chuckled. "Hermano," he corrected, "it means brother. Brother's fight, but when all is said and done they still love each other." 

Keith's eyes went glassy. "Y'u love me?" he asked. 

"Of course I do, Keith. We all do, you know that, right?" 

Tears streamed down Keith's face. 

"Hey, why are you crying?" Lance asked, wrapping his arm around Keith tighter. 

"No one--'cept S'iro-- has 'ver said t'hat to me." 

Lance felt sick. His heart twisted in both anger and hurt for the teen leaning against him. 

"Lanc'e? Do'nt fe'l so g'd." Keith's face had gone pale, blood speckling at his lips. 

Lance's stomach tightened, this was bad.  "Shh, it' okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?" 

"L'ance, am I g'na die?" 

"No. No, you're not. " Where the hell were the others? "I'm gonna try to see where the team is. The comms aren't in ranger here-- they were a few yards away-- I'll be right back." He gently propped Keith agaist the tree and scooped up his helmet. 

Keith let out a low groan. "Ple'se do't lea'e me, Lance." 

"I'm never gonna leave you, hermano. I'll be right back." 

 

Lance didn't have to walk that far. Keith was still in sight, which he was thankful for. He slipped on his helmet, immediately greeted with static and frantic voices. 

"Guys?" he asked. 

"Lance? Oh, thank God," came Hunk's breathy voice. 

"Thanks for finally answering." That was Pidge. 

"I'm sorry, there isn't exactly great service in the middle of a space jungle! Where the hell are you guys?" 

Shiro crackled in. "We're almost there. How's Keith?" 

Lance bit his lip, eyes falling to the barely conscious figure no more than fifty feet from him. "Not good. I-I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I'm scared, Shiro." Lance brushed a stray tear away, hoping his voice didn't give away that he was crying. 

"You've done great so far, Lance. Just hang on." 

Static filled the comms as Lance pried off his helmet. He walked back to Keith, sitting against the tree as the boy collapsed into him. "They'll be here soon," Lance told him, running a hand through Keith's sweaty hair. Blood had begun oozing from under the faux bandage, staining both Keith's torso and Lance's armor scarlet. 

Lance watched the slow rise and fall of Keith's chest as the boy's eyes slid closed. He guided Keith's head to rest on his thigh. 

"Stay awake, okay?" 

Keith's eyes fluttered open for a moment, scanned Lance's face, and close again.

"Thanks, hermano," he whispered as his breathing began to slow. 

Lance's heart jumped. "No, no, no! Keith, please. Please, no, Keith. Please, Keith!" he cried, shaking the boy. 

Lance didn't even notice when the castle landed. 

Everything was a blur as Shiro pried Keith's body from his lap. 

Hunk and Pidge pulled Lance off the ground, sticking to him like glue as the team walked back to the ship. 

Lance surrounded by his hermanos and hermana. His family.

And that is all he needed to know that Keith was going to be okay. 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i hate like reading something back and reading it could have been so much better. would you guys be interested in me redoing it, or writing something similar (suggestions welcome), sometime soon? let me know


End file.
